Minefield Robots and Other Crazy Tech Additions to This Year's World Cup

Half a million soccer fans will visit Brazil to attend this summer’s World Cup—but they won’t be seeing the same game as in years past. The pitch will feature some impressive new technologies, starting with a ceremonial kickoff by a paralyzed teen outfitted in a mind-controlled exoskeleton. Here’s what’ll come next.

2 | 4K BroadcastSony and FIFA will broadcast the July 13 final match live in super-high-res 4K. Carriers who devote the bandwidth will get four times the resolution of 1080p— making it nearly impossible to fake being fouled, right?

3 | GoalControlFourteen video cameras mounted high in the stadium—seven pointed at each goal—capture the ball’s exact position and send a vibrating signal to the ref’s wrist watch when it passes the goal line.

4 | Vanishing SprayArgentinian sports journalist Pablo Silva tested hundreds of foaming emul­sifiers to come up with this shaving ­cream­ like product, which evapo­rates within two minutes.* Refs will use it to mark off free kicks.

5 | Brazuca BallA record-low six panels makes for less water uptake and fewer seam defects. Plus, the cool panel shape means no large smooth areas— the source of the knuckle-ball effect that plagued the last two FIFA balls.

*Correction appended [4:12 p.m. PST/6/11]: A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to sports journalist Pablo Silva as Brazilian. He is Argentinian.